Press Releases: Mid-Atlantic States
Januray 12, 2010
Kaiser Permanente to Open New Medical Office in Gaithersburg
New Gaithersburg Medical Office will showcase advanced health care technology and provide expert, coordinated care
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Kaiser Permanente, a leading not-for-profit health plan and care provider, has announced plans to open a new 200,000 square foot medical office building in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The new facility is expected to be open in the summer of 2012 and will serve members who are area residents and a large number from nearby employers, including the Department of Energy, Montgomery College, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“We have an unwavering commitment to making quality health care available and accessible to our members,” said Marilyn Kawamura, president, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States. “This new medical office will bring the benefits and convenience of additional services and the most advanced technology together in a work and patient-friendly environment I’m sure our members will appreciate.”
The new Kaiser Permanente Gaithersburg Medical Office will be located at 655 Watkins Mill Road, in an existing building Kaiser Permanente has purchased and will convert to medical office space. When the design and construction are completed, it will house primary care, specialty care, full-service imaging, laboratory, pharmacy services, and state-of-the-art urgent care — all supported by industry-leading technology and information systems.
“The new and enhanced medical facilities can be viewed as concrete and important steps along the path we have charted to make Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States a leading provider of health care on the East Coast, and a model for how health care should be delivered across the nation,” said Bernadette Loftus, MD, The Permanente Medical Group associate executive director for the Mid-Atlantic States. “The new facilities will exemplify how Kaiser Permanente’s integrated health care delivery system — which is built on the close cooperation among all members of the health care team, and the efficiencies of our twenty-first century infrastructure — results in superior medical outcomes and gives our members the tools they need to manage and maintain their health.”
For instance, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, an advanced electronic medical record system, helps clinicians provide outstanding quality, assists patients in making certain they have received the preventive care they require, and maximizes patient safety by identifying risks to patients, such as potentially harmful drug combinations. Patients also have the added convenience of being able to access their medical records, schedule appointments, send secure e-mail to their physicians, and order prescription refills online, through My Health Manager at kp.org.
Kaiser Permanente has chosen the architectural firm Ellerbe Beckett to design the new Gaithersburg medical office, and the Jacobs Project Management Company for management of the project.
About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, provides and coordinates complete health care services for almost 500,000 members through 30 medical office buildings in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, founded in 1980, is a total health organization composed of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features approximately 900 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area. The health plan is considered one of Maryland’s “Top HMOs” according to the Maryland Health Care Commission. U.S. News & World Report/NCQA’s “America’s Best Health Insurance Plans 2009 – 10” placed Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States in the nation’s 100 top commercial health plans, and our Medicare plan 15th overall in the nation and #1 for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. In addition, it was recently named “Highest in Member Satisfaction” among Commercial Health Plans by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information about Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, visit www.kp.org
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
